That's My Son
by lovergirl85
Summary: Just once, couldn't Herc tell Chuck he was proud of him? Herc is not as big as an ass as he sounds, really. Not part of my Hilda series.


It started out as a small thing. Something Chuck could ignore. He ran across Herc and Raleigh in the hanger bay, in what looked like a serious discussion. He paused for a minute, staying just out of sight instead barging in like he normally would've and just watched them. It didn't seem to be anything _urgent_, so Chuck wasn't sure why he paused, but as he watched, Raleigh let out what looked like it could've been a laugh and bid Herc a farewell before heading in the opposite direction away from Herc and Chuck.

Chuck sneered and then emerged from his spot, demanding his father's attention. He didn't really care what Herc and _Rah_-leigh had been talking about.

But then it happened again. This time Chuck saw them in the training room engrossed in a conversation. Neither man noticed him enter and Chuck stopped again. They were both sweaty, so they'd obviously just finished training or were taking a break. This time, Chuck edged closer to try and hear what they were saying. The old has-been looked miserable and Herc's voice was quiet, but if Chuck could strain he could hear what his old man was saying.

" – you did good, Raleigh. You did the world a favor. And when you showed up here after all that you gave these people a boost."

"I dunno, Herc. I mean, after everything – "

"_Raleigh_. You're giving your best. That's all anyone wants. That's all anyone's asking."

And that…that was not what Chuck was expecting to hear. Hell, he'd _wanted_ to hear his dad say something like that. _Strived_ for it. But he'd prefer it if his dad said it to _him_. Not Raleigh. Chuck suddenly no longer had any desire to train. At least, not in that particular room. Maybe somewhere else. Mako would spar with him, probably. If he apologized for the bitch comment.

000

Mako took the apology out of his ass and Chuck was reminded why he stopped fighting with her when they were kids. Because girls fought _dirty_. Mako's technique had much improved beyond biting and hair pulling, but she could still put Chuck on the ground without really trying.

And maybe Chuck was also always secretly worried about hurting her even though one time he _had_ put his heart and soul into beating her and she still wiped the floor with him. So maybe it was more self-preservation than anything. If he held back for Mako, she let him walk away with only a mild limp instead of crutches.

He liked to think it was just him being worried about hurting her. 'Cause, ya know, she was a girl and everything.

Afterwards, though, she listened to him complain about everything that wasn't Herc (except it totally was) and he made sure not to complain too much about Raleigh because co-pilots looked after each other and he knew he'd beat the ever living fuck out of anyone who _dared_ talk bad about Herc in front of him. Mako probably knew Raleigh was involved somehow, but chose not to comment and Chuck left feeling better now that he'd vented. Mako had patted him on the shoulder as he left and he tossed a quick smile over his shoulder that she returned easily.

000

Chuck is not insecure. At all. About anything. Except…he used to really look up to the Becket brothers when he was younger and honestly, Gipsy Danger was just about the coolest there was and Chuck wanted to be like them when he grew up. Especially Raleigh. Raleigh had always come across as easy going and easily likeable and he was one half of an embodiment of a perfect Ranger: easy going and likeable, as mentioned before, energetic, in top physical condition and nothing seemed to scare him. Yancy was the other half: calmer than his younger brother but just as likeable, cool where Raleigh was rash and always could give awesome speeches. They both cared about the people and wanted to help them and were all-around good guys.

Chuck had wanted to have a team like theirs. He had thought about it a lot when he was a kid. He and his dad would've been just as good as the Becket brothers, if not better. Maybe them and the Beckets' would've done runs together.

So as time went on and Chuck saw how close Herc and Raleigh were getting, he might admit to being a little jealous. But not insecure. Because Charles Hansen did not get insecure ever. He was a ranger, dammit. Rangers didn't have time for insecurities. But…

…Just once, couldn't his dad tell Chuck that he was proud of _him?_

000

Of course, Hansen men also don't communicate so Chuck shoves those thoughts to the back of his mind and the next time he and his dad drift, they don't surface at all and for the first time Chuck feels this ache in his chest (no he doesn't) and wishes that his dad would break their routine of going their separate ways after a drift and clap him on the shoulder or _something_, but he doesn't and later when Chuck sees Raleigh and Herc in the mess talking like old friends (_Or father and son,_ his traitorous mind whispers), he loses his appetite, whistles to Max who happily abandons his spot at Herc's feet, sends a glare at Raleigh and Herc for good measure and storms out.

Raleigh was probably what Herc wanted in son. Chuck knew, knew from the drift, that Herc blamed himself for how Chuck turned out before his dad had gotten good at hiding those thoughts from Chuck. But for Pete's sake, it only took once, didn't it? Chuck knew he was a screw-up in his dad's eyes and he knew his dad loved him but he wasn't even proud of him and Herc and Chuck had piloted together for _years_ now and didn't Chuck do _anything_ that would've made his father proud?

So yeah, maybe Chuck's a bit of an ass to Raleigh (or a really big one, depending on who you ask: Chuck or everyone else), but seriously. Chuck feels like he deserves it when his own father is replacing him with someone else.

000

"That's my son," Herc says. And Chuck's throat is closing up because that's _pride_ in his father's voice. Pride and love and everything else the two of them had never told each other over the years or the drift even if they knew. "You hear me? That's _my son._"


End file.
